It's happening in Philly. For real.

Palma Violets @ Johnny Brenda’s.

Palma Violets singer/bass player Chilli Jesson and drummer Will Doyle both took to the stage at Johnny Brenda’s last night sporting Nick Cave T-shirts and that kind of set the tone for the evening.

The band came out swinging, blasting through a raucous version of “Secrets of America,” sounding more hard rocking, post punk-ish (a la Nick Cave) than the album version, which sounds more like a Brit pub sing-along.

The four lads from Lambeth in London belted out tracks from their debut album, 180, which made them musical phenoms in the UK, as well as from their brand new album, Danger in the Club, which dropped earlier this month. The new album is just as much fun as their first, with even harder riffs and more subtle sarcasm laced throughout. They sound a little more anthemic but they retain that garage punk sound.

For a band that has essentially been touring for the last two years, they were amazingly energetic last night. Jesson and singer/guitarist Sam Fryer bounced around the stage as Doyle viciously pounded on the drums (keyboardist Peter Mayhew was much more sedated, sitting the entire time, though his lively playing was much more powerful than on the recorded version).

The theatric Jesson repeatedly conversed with the crowd, inviting everyone to dance a few times. He crowd-surfed briefly, shook hands with fans and collapsed into the beaded wall at one point.

Palma Violets continues touring across North America for a few months and then travels around the UK for festival season. Presumably, they’ll wind up here again soon and that’s awesome. Because they put on a fantastic live show.